A Revelation and a Proposal
by banduraqueen
Summary: 2nd in a 4 part GJ series that started with Premonitions. Takes place during Revelations. It's 2 chapters of fluffiness, in the way that Giles and Jenny get engaged, before the series gets serious. FINISHED!
1. Revelation

Willow looked cautiously over her shoulder. She was supposed to be looking for books that might contain clues about the Glove of Myhnegon or the demon Lagos, but she found the back of Xander's head much more compelling. He was sitting at the study table, bent over a volume, giving Willow, from her position above him by the bookshelves, a good view of how his hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck. He moved to get up and Willow looked away again, embarrassed. 

_This can't go on_, she thought. _Somebody's going to notice. That is, if they aren't all too wrapped up in their own problems_. Lately it seemed as if everyone was preoccupied about something or other. Except, unfortunately, for Cordelia and Oz.

Trying to concentrate on the task at hand, Willow scanned the bookshelf for helpful-looking titles, but was having a difficult time making sense of the letters. She could feel Xander's eyes on her, and tentatively turned her gaze to meet his. They stood there enraptured by each other for a moment until they were reminded that Giles was in the library too.

"Oh, this is intolerable," they heard him say as he slammed shut the book he had been studying in frustration. "There's not a word here about Lagos or the glove. We don't have time for this near-missing," having stood up, Giles now turned to face Willow and Xander. "Just find out all you can about the demon, its-it-its strengths, its-its weaknesses, its places of origin, and most importantly, what it plans to do with this blasted glove."

Xander did not take kindly to being ordered in such a way. "Hey, you're not the Watcher of me."

"Then go home. But if you choose to stay, then work." Giles shot back, highly irritated, and turned towards his office.

Xander, however, was not in a mood just to let it go. "So, I take it you're out of Miss Calendar's good graces…again."

"What? No! I mean, that's none of your business."

"You're not?" Willow asked, concerned. Both Giles and Jenny had been acting… unusual for the past week; Willow had assumed the reason was that they were having some sort of spat. Giles gave Willow a funny look, so she explained her concern, "We just thought… well, because she's not here, and-and lately she's been acting… um…"

"Schizo?" Xander supplied.

"…edgy."

"Not to mention you're Mr. Moody," Xander added

Trying to ignore these remarks, Willow continued, "so we thought, you know…"

Xander took advantage of Willow's hesitation to interject, "that you aren't getting any—"

"That you're fighting!" Willow said emphatically, glaring at Xander.

By this time Giles was feeling exasperated. "Thank you for you're concern," he said, not without sarcasm, "but I assure you it's misdirected," and he looked at Xander in such a way as to indicate "on both counts."

Willow, however, required more of an explanation. "Then what's wrong with Jenny?" she asked tentatively.

"Nothing." Giles answered bluntly.

Xander scoffed, disbelieving.

Willow wasn't convinced either. "Haven't you noticed she's been acting kind of, um, weird, lately? Like, uh, for example, she kind of, um, blew up in class today. She made Jonathan cry. And-and yesterday, she left class really suddenly and when she came back, her eyes were all red."

Upon hearing this Giles began to take Willow and her concerns seriously. "Well, uh, maybe-maybe she's still, uh, recovering from the-the effects of the band candy? She was a-a-a rather, um, emotional teenager," he suggested rather lamely.

"Yeah… maybe… but something else weird she did: on Sunday, when we met for our Wicca study session, she ate, like, a whole tub of yogurt with potato chips."

Giles had nothing to say to this news. He could only make a face.

"I think it's demon possession." Xander said.

Giles rolled his eyes. "I hardly think Jenny's behaviour is serious enough to-to –"

"C'mon… out of character behaviour? Inhuman eating habits—"

"You ate the same thing last week!" Willow pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was for a bet!" Xander defended himself. He could tell from Will's look though that she wasn't buying it. "Okay, so I was hungry and there wasn't much choice. My point is that, in Miss Calendar's case, it smacks of Hellmouth."

"Yes, of course, it's the demon that makes one eat junk food and act 'moody'. It's a very grave evil. I don't know why I didn't realize it before," Giles said sarcastically, turning away.

"Where is Jenny anyways?" Willow asked, her worries unabated.

"She had a doctor's appointment… but nothing is wrong."

"Then why go to the doctor?"

Giles sighed wearily. "That is none of your concern. Now please, get back to work."

Willow couldn't stop worrying that easily, though. And anyways, to stop worrying about Jenny meant she would no longer have anything to distract her from Xander. "Sorry, you're right," she said, turning back towards the bookcase "I just worry too much. When you live on a Hellmouth, you can't help worrying about the people you care about, what with all the horrible things that could potentially happen to them, but it doesn't matter if it would give me peace of mind to know, because you're right, it's none of my business, I just worry too much—"

Giles sighed and reluctantly gave in to Willow. "She's just been feeling, uh, nauseous, recently."

"Oh, I haven't noticed that…"

"It's mostly been in the morning. Perhaps the prospect of facing students' insolent questions brings it on."

Willow was somewhat hurt by Giles's remark. She had good intentions, after all.

Xander hadn't really been paying attention, having turned back to his book after Giles's rejection of his demon theory, but said absent mindedly, "Sickness in the morning… like morning sickness."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "Oh. That would make sense…" she said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Really?" Xander said, surprised that he may actually be right about something. "What _is_ morning sickness anyways?"

Willow glanced over at Giles. He was standing stalk still, as if rooted to the ground. His brow was furrowed and he blinked as if he had just been presented with a baffling problem. "I'll tell you in the stacks," Willow whispered, and the two of them disappeared between the bookshelves.

Left alone, Giles took off his glasses with a shaky hand and sat down unsteadily in the nearest chair to think.


	2. Proposal

Even though he had made up his mind what he was going to do long before he got home, Giles spent a few minutes pacing outside his front door, steeling himself with courage, before he was able to go inside. He opened the door and stepped into his apartment resolutely. 

Immediately he was struck by the tension that filled the room.

With everything else he suddenly had to think about, Giles had forgotten that Faith's new Watcher, Gwendolyn Post, was staying with him and Jenny for a few days, until she found accommodations that met her standards. Mrs. Post was leaning against the kitchenette bar, smugly sipping a cup of tea, while Jenny was reclining on the couch, staring grimly at a magazine, pointedly ignoring Giles's entrance. It didn't appear as if they had been discussing anything, but Giles assumed they must have had some sort of exchange, because the animosity between the two women was tangible.

Mrs. Post looked up from her tea. "Ah, Mr. Giles. At last," she said pointedly.

"Good evening," Giles replied as he hung up his things. His tone was polite, but he was inwardly cursing her. He had planned everything out, but Mrs. Post's presence threw it all off. "Sorry I'm late," he added sincerely to Jenny.

She just glared at him reproachfully for leaving her alone with Mrs. Post for so long. Giles shifted uncomfortably.

Mrs. Post, however, did answer, "Considering your disciplinary weaknesses, I can't say I was expecting punctuality," she remarked bluntly.

Giles considered telling her he wasn't apologizing to her, but thought better of it.

"Although I have entertained some brief hopes that some progress has been made in terms of research," she continued.

Giles replied tersely, "Yes, well, we have discovered where the glove is located."

"Indeed? Have you sent Buffy to fetch it?"

Giles bristled. He did not send Buffy to "fetch" things. "Xander is telling her about it," he answered.

"Ah. And did you find out what Lagos wants with it?"

"No," Giles said, struggling to keep the edge out of his voice.

"Of course," Mrs. Post smiled condescendingly.

"Yes, well, I hope you'll excuse me, but I have something important I'd like to discuss with Ms. Calendar, in private."

At this Jenny put down her magazine and tried to look as if she knew what Giles was talking about, that they really did have something urgent to discuss. She couldn't wait for that Post woman to get out of her sight.

Mrs. Post, however, misinterpreted Giles's request for privacy. "I don't mind at all. I'll just wait here," she said.

Giles tried hard not to seethe.

Jenny, meanwhile, just rolled her eyes and stood up. "C'mon," she muttered and, taking him by his sleeve, led Giles out through the back door. "_Why_ does she have to stay with us?" she demanded as soon as they were outside.

"Professional obligation," Giles replied bitterly.

"Oh, I didn't know you'd joined the Sexually Repressed Prudes' Union." Jenny remarked.

Giles couldn't help but smile at Jenny's description of Gwendolyn Post. "Actually, it's the Uptight Arrogant WASPs' Guild, but I stopped paying my dues years ago," he joked.

Apparently appeased, Jenny smiled back at him. "Isn't there some way to knock her off and make it look like an accident?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"Buffy actually suggested that already. Unfortunately, the Council would likely mount an investigation in such a case."

"Damn them."

"Sorry for leaving you alone with her."

"Ah, whatever. At least I'm not the one she's reporting on."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"Sorry," Jenny smiled. "So, did you have something to tell me, or was that just an excuse to get away from dear old Gwen?"

"Oh, y-yes, actually, I do…" Giles suddenly had the sensation of his insides clenching up and being short of breath.

Jenny also seemed to take on a more serious demeanor. "Okay, 'cause I have something to tell you too," she said.

"R-right. But me first."

Jenny looked at him curiously.

"W-well, uh, I-I, ah… this is – this is h-hardly the, uh, most, um, the most ideal setting… or-or time… considering… but I, uh, I-I-I hope you-you can, ah, y-y-you can overlook that t-t-t-to…" Giles gulped. This wasn't easy. He took Jenny's hand in his and, looking at her intently, tried to continue, "Uh, well… w-w-what I-I'm trying to say… ah, wh-what I-I want t-to ask you –"

Before Giles could get to the point though, Xander burst through the back door.

"Giles! We have a big problem. It's B—" he stopped short, his brain having just registered the scene he had burst in on. "Am I interrupting something here? 'Cause I can wait."

"Could you?" Giles asked exasperated.

"Sure" Xander replied with a smile, but added emphatically, "I _do_ have something important to say though. I just don't want to ruin the mood here." Giles gave Xander a warning look.

"I'll just wait inside," Xander said, turning back into the apartment.

The interruption, unfortunately, had made Giles loose his tenuous hold on his train of thought. "Uh, s-so…" he stuttered.

"So… you were asking me to marry you." Jenny supplied.

"Yes, right… W-what? How –?"

"I haven't heard you stammer so much since the first time you tried to ask me out, Rupert. It was kinda obvious. I just figured it out" Jenny explained, and continued, seriously, "just like you figured out that I'm pregnant, right?"

"Uh, a-actually I had some help with that." Giles replied sheepishly.

"Is that the reason you're asking me?" Jenny asked, crossing her arms. She didn't want to marry Giles just because he felt obliged to.

"No! Or-or actually, yes. But not exactly…" Giles began to pace nervously. "Jenny, I-I've wanted to ask you for quite some time, but, uh, this just, ah, forced my hand, if you will."

"Really? 'Cause you didn't seem so keen on the idea of marriage last week."

"I wasn't myself!" Giles defended himself. "And I thought you never wanted to bring that up again?"

"For how long did you want to ask me?" Jenny questioned.

"For months." Giles replied and stopped pacing to think about it. He could remember the exact moment. "Since last spring after, uh, after we escaped from Angel, when we were in your kitchen and you were getting me cleaned up, and I noticed there were tears in your eyes, and that was when I first realized that I could never leave you, that I wanted to spend my life with you and take care of you –"

"I can take care of myself," Jenny interjected, although with a small smile.

"Y-yes, I know," Giles replied quickly. "But if you ever needed any help, I wanted to always be the one who was there for you."

Jenny uncrossed her arms and took a step towards Giles. "So what took you so long?" she asked.

Giles looked at the ground, embarrassed. "I was afraid you'd say 'no.'"

"You shouldn't have been." Jenny said sincerely.

Giles looked up at her. She was gazing intensely back at him.

"D-does that mean that you will?" he asked weakly.

"That I will what? You haven't asked me anything yet." Jenny deadpanned.

"B-but… oh, that's right," Giles realized that he hadn't, in fact, asked Jenny anything yet. He stepped closer to her, took her hand in his again, and, looking at her intensely, asked, "Jenny Calendar, will you marry me?"

"I'll have to think about it," she replied, quite seriously, although the corners of her mouth were twitching.

Giles thought he should have expected as much from Jenny. He drew her close and kissed her deeply.

After a while Jenny pulled away a little. "Okay, sure," She gave her answer, smiling, and went back to kissing Giles.

By the time they decided to go back inside before someone came out looking for them, Giles was so happy that he wouldn't have believed there was any way that Xander's problem, whatever it was, could possibly bring him down.

**THE END**

Of Part II


End file.
